


The Ghosts of Christmas Past

by QueenoftheTARDIS



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Christmas, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Thasmin, Paranoia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 12:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17121758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenoftheTARDIS/pseuds/QueenoftheTARDIS
Summary: As Yaz, Ryan and Graham return home for the festive holidays the Doctor finds that something strange is following her. When she realises she's the only person who can see the creatures will her friends even believe her? And can they figure out what's happening before it threatens to ruin Christmas itself?





	The Ghosts of Christmas Past

**Author's Note:**

> When I found out we weren't getting an actual Christmas special this year I thought about what kind of episode I'd write given the chance. I also had a very short 'Secret Santa' story that was going to be part of my 'Meanwhile in Thirteen's TARDIS' miniseries so I decided to combine the two ideas. 
> 
> So this story is kind of a balance between something that could be an actual Doctor Who episode and some nice Christmas fluff with the fam so let me know if it works in the comments and happy holidays to all of you at home!

**Friday, 21 December 2018**

 

The TARDIS materialised proudly onto the same raised slab where it had stood many months before. Yasmin Khan poked her head out of the blue box. The Doctor shouted, ‘Are we there this time?’ from the console.

’We’re… home?’ Yaz shouted back as she stepped out. The last time she had said those words she was mostly relieved that they’d actually made it back to Sheffield after being accidentally kidnapped but now if anything she was a little disappointed.

‘What’s the date?’ Ryan asked as the rest of them joined her.

Yaz pulled out her phone which inexplicably kept to GMT no matter when or where in the universe they happened to be.

‘December 21st,’ she said before remembering to add ‘2018’

‘That’d explain why it’s a bit parky, give us a minute,’ Graham said, evidentially dressed for somewhere much warmer. He quickly ducked back inside to find something more appropriate.

‘Four days before Christmas,’ Ryan said in an almost sombre tone. He didn’t really like Christmas, it always felt like an annual reminder of what he’d lost. ‘Can we leave? Is that okay Yaz or do you want to see your family?’

‘It’s been months since they’ve seen me, I don’t want to put that on them. As long as we go back to just after I left the next time we’re here that’ll be fine won’t it Doctor?’, she asked trying to wrap her head around the sentence she just said.

‘Yep. Bit confusing but temporally you’re absolutely sound,’ the golden haired woman said.’ Alright lets go, hopefully we’ll get to Galistria Beach this time.’

They pushed passed Graham, who was now wearing a puffy parka, in the police-box shaped vestibule of the ship.

‘What are you all doing?’

‘We’re leaving.’

‘What? Why?’

‘You know Christmas isn’t my favourite time of year,’ Ryan said offhandedly.

‘WELL IT’S MINE!’ Graham roared which sucked all of the air out of the capacious room, the three of them stood in stunned silence at that rare outburst from him. ‘You lot think I’m just some daft old codger don’t you?’

‘What? No,’ Yaz said sincerely. Ryan elected not to answer whereas the Doctor stuck her finger in the air combined with the expression of a smug know-it-all.

‘Actually Graham I think you’ll find I’m several centuries older than you so if anything—’

‘When’s the last time you acted like it?’

‘Touché,’ she said, dropping her raised hand and resuming her trademark awkwardness.

‘You never think about what I want. All I wanted is a nice little break after everything we’ve been through recently. I’m still getting over that business with the egg monsters things,’ he ranted. ‘Four goes you’ve had trying to get to this beach. Seeing as we’re back home for the holidays why don’t we spend it here instead?’

‘Oh yes brilliant idea! Sheffield Christmas with my fam!’ the Doctor exclaimed.

‘It sounds lovely Graham but I can’t stay at my own place, it could mess up the space-time continuum,’ Yaz apologised.

‘Well that’s alright we can get the camp bed out the loft can’t we?’

‘There’d be no room, not with the four of us,’ Ryan answered which felt like an excuse but they both knew wasn’t. The house was barely big enough for three people and he couldn’t ask the Doctor to sleep on the sofa again, even in spite of her weird affection for it when she stayed over for the funeral.

Graham wasn’t going to give up though.

‘Okay, how about you two stay in the TARDIS and us two can stay at home?’

‘I don’t know…’

‘Please Ryan. For me?’

‘Alright. But just cos I agree doesn’t mean I have to like it.’

With that settled the two men left the TARDIS and walked up the hill to their house.

‘Look I know Christmas ain’t really your thing, but things are different now. Sure your Nan’s not here but I thought since we’ve sort of made up and we’ve got new friends we could fill this place with some life again.’

‘Yeah, that sounds good actually. It’s not like Nan was here with us when she was alive anyway,’

Graham tried to push open the door before being met with some resistance; employing Ryan’s assistance they squeezed through to find a pile of letters and junk mail.

‘So we’ve got four days to prepare for Christmas. From scratch.’ Ryan said in the cold and unlit house.

‘Umm, might not’ve thought this through.’ Graham said.

 

The Doctor meanwhile stepped out of the TARDIS to grab some of the brisk winter air and to gaze over the city below. She smiled, thankful for all that she had gained since she first crashed here. The smile cracked as was overcome with a sick feeling. Her head started to pound, knees buckling as she tried to walk the few steps to the police box. She pushed open the doors with all the force she could muster before collapsing to the cold hard floor.

‘Doctor! Are you alright?’ Yaz asked as she ran over to help, clutching the woman gently to pull her upright.

But the Doctor quickly regained her composure. Like nothing had even happened. ‘Yeah I’m fine,’ she said, more than a little confused.

She had absolutely no idea what she was dealing with, just like always that that frighten and excited her.

 

 

**Saturday, 22 December 2018**

 

‘Shopping at Meadowhall three days before Christmas. This is my definition of Hell y’know? It’s bad enough at the best of times,’ Graham said, staring at the writhing masses of people in the unnatural and confusing structure in which they had just entered. 

‘This is nothing. You should see how packed it get on Caleson, now that is a shopping mall. I say mall I mean planet. Can we go there instead?’, the Doctor asked like an impatient child.

‘No, I want to keep us Earthbound. No alien planets, no weirdness. So we’re agreed one present each. That way you don’t spend money that, let’s face it, you don’t have and it means we can get out of here as quickly as possible.’

‘Alright Captain Tetchy, meet back here at two then?’ Ryan joked.

The four of them went their separate ways. Graham set off like a man on a mission, Yaz and Ryan taking a much more relaxed approach and the Doctor decided to amble about, not entirely sure what she was doing.

 

 _What do you buy for a 2000 year old alien who has a time machine?_ Yaz wondered. Nonetheless she wasn’t going to be defeated. She wanted to get something special for the person who at once could be like her crazy older sister and at other times be like her stern but caring mum.

 She was giving up hope before she finally spotted it in the shop window. It was perfect.

 

Meanwhile the Doctor was busy trying and failing to find something for Yaz. She soon found herself in a clothes shop. _Brilliant_ , she thought. _Humans like clothes right?_ She aimlessly wandered, feeling the fabric of different clothes at random, imitating the shoppers in an effort to appear normal and hope that she’d gain some of their knowledge by osmosis.

 At this point the Doctor was so hopelessly confused she hadn’t realised she’d entered the lingerie department, she only saw the life raft of a store employee and dashed over to the young woman.

‘Hi, please help me. I really have no idea what I’m doing but I need to buy a present for someone.’ 

‘No problem ma’am. I take it it’s for someone special.’

‘Very special. She’s amazing.’

‘So are you looking at bras or knickers or both?’

‘Oh um, definitely both. That’s what she got for me when I first became a woman so it seems fair.’ 

‘Aww, that’s sweet,’ the shop assistant said thinking the Doctor must be a trans woman like she was, rather than a body swapping alien.

‘What’s her size?’

‘Small? Or is it like Starbucks? In which case is she a venti?’

 *

The Doctor had finally managed to find a set of underwear that she thought would fit Yaz and was now casually strolling around the mall trying to figure out what she could get the boys. In the distance she thought she could see something. It was hard to see with the crowds of people milling about. But from what she could make out it was a red glowing sphere, pulsating andhovering about eye level. Suddenly it moved away from her and the Doctor instinctively chased after it. Her attention was so focused on it that she wasn’t looking where she was going and crashed head first into Yaz who was coming the other way. They both tumbled to the ground.

‘Ow Doctor!’

‘It’s gone. Great. Thanks a lot Yaz.’

‘Hey, you bumped into me, I think you owe me an apology.’

Usually the Doctor couldn’t help but say sorry at the drop of a hat. But this time the Doctor stayed silent, staring up at where the strange blob had been with quiet determination.

‘Doctor, what it is? What’s wrong?’

‘What do you mean what’s wrong? The orb, it just vanished.’

‘An orb?’

‘Yes Yaz it was right here,’ she said with a tone of annoyance.

‘Well I didn’t see it.’

‘Urgh humans! You’re so busy obsessing over yourselves, you can’t see what’s right in front of you.’

First the headache and now this. Normally the Doctor was right when things were wrong. But this time Yaz wasn’t sure. The Doctor was acting strange and she had a look that she’d not seen before. Mania? Fear? Paranoia? All three? Whatever it was Yaz didn’t like what she saw. 

She was taught to reassure people, so that’s what she’d do. ‘Come on. Let’s sit down. I’ll buy you a hot chocolate. Calm your nerves.’

‘Thanks Yaz.’

But in the back of her mind she considered that maybe the Doctor was being delusional. She’d have to do more than reassure her. She had to help her not enable her this time. Whatever the cost.

 

 

**Sunday, 23 December 2018**

 

With Christmas Day getting closer and closer, Graham decided that the lazy Sunday would be the perfect day to put up the decorations while Yaz went into town to scrape together any food that she could find. Unfortunately for him the Doctor can’t do lazy.

‘All I’m saying is I could just pop to the Forests of Verdant Majesty on Allestorios and get the most beautiful sapphire tree—‘

‘No I want a proper pine tree, so the plastic one’ll have to do,’

‘Not exactly proper then is it?’ The Doctor muttered under her breath.

Ryan and the Doctor helped begrudgingly helped Graham to get the fake tree and the suitcase full of decorations out of the loft.

Once the tree had been assembled they opened the suitcase to find the usual array of Christmassy decorations: tinsel, lights, baubles. What stuck out to the Doctor however was the tree topper: a gaudy ceramic angel.

She grabbed it instantly and threw it to the ground, shattering in. Not content with the destruction she’d just caused she stamped on the pieces with her boots, crushing them into tinier pieces, seemingly for no reason.

‘WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?’ Graham said.

‘Just being careful, could’ve been a Weeping Angel,’ the Doctor shakily said.

‘A weeping what? You just broke my angel!’

‘It just one ornament, she didn’t mean any harm,’ Ryan explained.

‘Don’t you start as well,’ Graham said with a ferocity that Ryan hardly ever saw. He threw his arms up in frustration. ‘I can’t be doing with this,’ he said as he stormed out.

‘Graham…’ the Doctor shouted, but the harsh slam of the front door made the ‘I’m sorry’ hang limply in the air.

Ryan and the Doctor took a moment to stand in the silence before she softly said, ‘should we go after him?’

‘Better give him some time. He’s usually like this at Christmas, but I’ve never seen him this bad before.’

’S’pose it has been hard for him. Having to keep up with us three all the time. And having to pretend to be me when we go to the past.’

‘Yeah guess we never really consider him. He’s just always there. Always Graham.’

 *

The Doctor had finally found Graham after a frantic few hours. He sat at a wooden bench in the park nearest the hospital where Grace worked. At any other time of the year it would be beautiful. But now the trees had nothing but skeletal branches and the pond was miserably stagnant.

’Graham! I’m sorry about your ornament.’

‘I’m sorry too,’ he said quietly, staring reflectively out to the water.

‘What? No I’m supposed to be the one apologising to you. I’m really sorry for how I’ve been acting there’s no excuse.’

‘It’s my fault an’ all. I shouldn’t be getting so uppity but thing is this is my first proper Christmas in a way. Ever since Mum and Dad died I didn’t have anyone to spend it with. Even when I was with Grace she was always working on Christmas Day itself, and me and Ryan didn’t exactly get on back then. But now that I’ve got you three I just want every to be normal, everything to be perfect.’

‘In my experience there’s no such thing as a perfect Christmas. Nearly all mine end in disaster or I end up having to save the planet. I can’t just relax. That’s why I’ve been so paranoid. Maybe the things I’m seeing aren’t even real, I’ve just deluded myself into thinking that they are because I can’t even conceive of anything different, because I’ve never had a normal Christmas.’

‘Get the tree,’ Graham said resolutely.

‘What?’

‘The sapphire tree you were bangin’ on about.’

‘But you said—‘

‘Sod that, we’re not gonna a perfect Christmas, we’re gonna have a better celebration. We’ll make new traditions,'

The Doctor’s face lit up with the biggest of grins.

*

‘Oh my god, what happened to you?’ Yaz said after opening the front door and seeing the Doctor covering head to toe in a strange blue goo.

‘Quick question: Do you know how to get sapphire sap out of clothes. And hair. And everywhere really?’

Yaz shook her head with an expression of _obviously not you beautiful madwoman_. ‘Well I’m guessing first things first is have a shower cos you seriously reek and then if that doesn’t work I don’t know google it?’

‘Oh sorry, I guess I got kind of used to the smell. I’ll get washed and changed just don’t start decorating without me,’ she said already running off down the road to the TARDIS.

Yaz lugged the large tree into the living room, plonking it down in the corner. It was beautiful. The tree was bright and crystalline, it looked almost inorganic but the same sap the Doctor was covered in coursed through the semi-transparent leaves indicating that it wasn’t.

Once the Doctor had cleaned herself up Yaz put on a suitably Christmassy playlist on the stereo and the four spent the evening decorating the weird but stunning tree. For the first time since they arrived the Doctor wasn’t feeling anxious or worried about what Christmas Day would bring.

 

**Monday, 24 December 2018**

 

Christmas Eve was mainly spend getting everything prepared for tomorrow. Graham had been able to blag a half-decent turkey from his butcher mate. Whereas the three others went to get Christmas crackers and more importantly booze for the boys.

After they had finished wrapping each others presents the foursome went to the Cathedral for the carol service. Yaz was a little nervous about being out in town in case her family saw her and the universe imploded or something. But she figured they’d be busy doing their annual charity work at their local mosque on the other side of the city leaving her to enjoy her first time in the Cathedral singing along with her friends.

The Doctor was getting into it as well but she stop singing and went a deathly white. ‘No not here, please not now,’ she kept muttering over and over.

But whatever had spooked her was still there from what the others could infer. The Doctor sprung into action, raising her voice.

‘Are you follow me? Tormenting me? Can you even hear me? Can you even understand me?’

‘Doctor stop it,’ Yaz pleaded.

She points out her sonic with vigour. The readings are undecipherable. ‘Come on, give me something. What are you?’

‘Shh Doc, you’re making a scene.’

By now the four of them had left the pews and were stood in the aisle, one of the staff politely asked them to stop the disturbance but the Doctor wasn’t listening.

‘YAZ!’, the Doctor called out, clearly trying to warn her of something that she was oblivious to.

‘What?’

‘Please! I must ask you leave!’ the disgruntled staff member said again.

‘Way ahead of you mate!’ the Doctor said already a pace as she ran out of the building. The others followed until there were in the square outside.

The Doctor stood frustrated, hands on her hips. ‘Gone again. Urgh, I hate this.’

‘Doc what was that back there. I thought you’d sorted yourself out after the whole angel incident. But come on don’t ruin Christmas. Not now.’

‘I’m sorry Graham but this is real. I know it.’

‘What’s real? What are you talking about?’ Ryan asked.

‘I saw a figure. Humanoid. About six foot tall. Like a shadow with form. And it keeps following me. Like it’s haunting me.’

‘Maybe it’s a ghost.’

‘Maybe. Or a Cyberman masquerading as a ghost again. I don’t know. I couldn’t get any readings. I hate my sonic,’ she said.

‘You said it was an orb before,’ Yaz said.

‘Yeah well now it’s a person. It passed right through you, did you feel anything? A weird chill? A stomachache? Anything?’

She grabbed Yaz by the arms, gripping them a little too tightly and staring at her with an aggressive intensity.

‘Nothing Doctor. Please you’re scaring us.’

‘I’m scaring you?’ she let go of the young woman’s arms and strutted around in disbelief. ‘Do you not think I might be right? Out of everything in the universe, all the things you’ve seen that there might not be something that I can see and you can’t? I’m a Time Lord, I have senses that you can’t even imagine. Seen things you wouldn’t believe.’

She had completely snapped. There was a burning in her eyes that the three of them had never seen from her before.

‘Enough Doctor.’ Graham said assertively. ‘I think we all need clear our heads. Have a decent night’s sleep and start tomorrow afresh.’

‘Yeah,’ Yaz muttered tiredly. ‘I’m heading back to the TARDIS. Come on Doctor. See you boys in the morning.’

‘Night, girls. See you tomorrow.’

 *

In frustration the Doctor had decided to ignore the problem and try to take her mind off it by tinkering with the TARDIS. Yaz had a different opinion on the matter. She wanted to sort out whatever was troubling her.

‘Maybe you just had a really bad headache. Happened to me when I had a particularly bad day on the beat.’

‘No, this was different,’ she looked up to meet Yaz’s gaze but she didn’t reciprocate.

‘What if it’s not aliens? You have been going at it pretty hard after Ranskoor. Even more than usual. You sure you’re okay?’

‘I know what I saw Yaz.’

‘Okay. How do we figure out what it is?’

That was more like it. Of course there was a possibility that the Doctor was right, Yaz thought and if so she wanted to know exactly what had spooked her friend. But even if not then finding out there was nothing to worry about would put the matter to bed.

‘Information. Facts. Everything I can find out so I can deal with whatever it is. Which means I gonna have to examine you.’

‘Examine me?’

‘The sonic didn’t pick anything up. Are you sure you didn’t feel it pass through you?’

‘No nothing. You know I wouldn’t lie to you.’

‘Right, then I’m gonna have to do a full bodily check in the sickbay.’

‘The tone of your voice is starting to make me nervous. It is safe?’

‘Yeah… probably. Trust me, I’m the Doctor.’

They got settled in the TARDIS’s sickbay. Yaz started to take off her jumper, revealing her plain top underneath.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Taking my clothes off. That is what you meant right?’

‘Whoops, no. Sorry. Not that kind of examination. More high tech. I mean I know I call myself the Doctor and I do have a medical degree but it’s been a really long time since I’ve used it. And I think I might still be a bit squeamish.’

‘Of blood?’

‘No, humans.’

‘Doctor,’ she said, not appreciating the joke. If it even was a joke, it’s hard to tell with the Doctor. But right now she needed some gentle but firm reassurance like an actual doctor would not whatever the Doctor was giving her.

‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘Swallow this.’

The Doctor placed a small red ball about the size of a pinhead into the palm of Yaz’s hand. ‘What is it?’

‘It’s for the blood sample.’

She reluctantly gulped it down. On the far side of the room was a machine containing a few test tubes which from Yaz’s decent knowledge of A-level Biology guessed was some sort of centrifuge. Then one of the tubes started to fill with blood. Her blood she assumed.

‘Is that—’

‘Yep. Nano-technology. Teleports it out of your bloodstream.’

‘You’re making me nostalgic for the needle.’

‘Stand still.’

Yaz did as the Doctor ordered. Suddenly a light shone down upon her and a strange whirring sound not unlike the sonic’s was emitted. That’d be the scanner, she figured. It went on longer than she would’ve like but once it did an explosion of shapes appeared on the screen on the wall. The Doctor’s native language, complete nonsense to Yaz but the Doctor immediately started reading, trying to make sense of the data. 

‘Nothing. Not even traces of anything. How is that even possible?’

‘See? Promise me, you’ll forget about this now. For Christmas? For me?’

‘I promise.’

‘Thank you. Right, I’m going to bed. Good night Doctor.’

‘Nighty night Yasmin.’

 

**Tuesday, 25 December 2018**

 

‘Granddad’s just starting making Christmas dinner so you might want to brace your tastebuds,’ Ryan said as he came into his room, grabbing his games controller before sitting cross-legged on the floor with Yaz.

A small smile crept across her face which Ryan immediately picked up on.

‘What was that for?’

‘Just you calling Graham “granddad”. It’s sweet. I’m glad things are good between you now.’

‘Me too. You got to look after your family. Even if it’s just the two of us now.’

‘Hey, what about me and the Doctor?’

‘You’re not my family. Not my proper family. I suppose Grah— Granddad isn’t either, but you know what I mean. Maybe I just can’t imagine you as my sister. And I wouldn’t even know what to call the Doctor.’

‘Our mad aunt?’ Yaz joked.

Speaking of which the Doctor burst into the room with no regard for privacy.

‘MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU TWO! Ryan did Santa come? I hope so, Geoff’s pretty reliable, I have had to fill in for him a few Christmases though, those were some wild nights, can we open the presents now?’

‘See what I mean?’ Yaz whispered to Ryan which led him to perform a laugh that he tried his best to hide in front of the Doctor. She was just happy that the Doctor had kept her promise and was her normal loveable kind of mad.

‘We were thinking doing presents after dinner Doctor, sorry,’ Ryan regretfully said.

‘Can’t you at least come join me downstairs? I’m getting lonely down there. I’ve got nothing to do and Graham’s forbidden me to enter the kitchen,’

 _That’s probably a good idea after the beans on toast incident_ , Ryan thought.

‘Sorry Doctor but I’m just about to beat Ryan at FIFA. You’re welcome to stay and watch his humiliation.’

‘More like his stunning victory.’

‘Yeah well, which one of us has met Steph Houghton? And got a selfie with her. I’ve been blessed by a footballing goddess.’

‘What really?’ the Doctor enquired.

‘You’re not the only one who can brag about meeting famous people,’ Yaz chided.

‘I don’t do that do I?’

‘All the time mate,’ Ryan added.

‘OH SOD IT!’ They faintly heard from downstairs.

‘I’d better go and help. There you go Doctor, knock yourself out,’ Yaz said handing the controller to the Doctor who looked at it with confusion.

‘Do you even know how to use that thing?’

‘Ryan Sinclair how dare you? The TARDIS has controls millions of times more complicated than this thing and I fly her pretty well don’t I?… Which button moves the players?’

 

‘Everything okay Graham?’

‘Yep, everything’s under control.’

‘Really? Cos we did all just hear your freakout.’

‘Alright, it’s not under control. I’ve no idea what I’m doing. Grace was always the one who was good at cooking.’

‘You should’ve ask me for help duck,’

‘Sorry, guess I am a bit stubborn. Anyway I thought you didn’t do Christmas?’

‘I don’t not really, but I know how to cook! It can’t be that difficult.’

 

After a very long time, one small fire and an argument about cauliflower Yaz and Graham managed to finish Christmas dinner. They all sat at the dining table, just enjoying each other’s company with good food and good drink.

They pulled the crackers and in one found a small plastic frog which made them smile. Graham carefully placed it at the head of the table where Grace would’ve been sitting.

‘Is that snow?’ Yaz asked, as she glanced out of the window. ‘Hey look, it’s snowing on Christmas Day,’

The Doctor jumped to the window. In the snow she saw what she feared. ‘No please, not today. Not on Christmas.’

She ran out of the house and down to the amphitheatre below, the other three following behind her.

‘All I wanted was a nice Christmas with my friends. Why can’t you let me have this?’ she bellowed at thin air.

Yaz realised that the Doctor must've been talking to the visions again and lowered her head in disappointment, ‘You promised me Doctor.’

‘I don’t know how I can prove it you Yaz. I’ve been trying so hard to make sense of it but nothing works. I don’t know what this is and I’m scared. Please… please believe me.’ Tears streamed down the Doctor’s face. She wasn’t full of rage anymore, she was just tired and looking for someone to understand her.

Yaz went up to her, embracing her softly, ‘Okay. I believe you.’

Graham and Ryan joined in with the hug. ‘Me too,’ the older man said.

‘Always.’ Ryan said. ‘So what are we dealing with? Ghosts?’

‘There’s more of them, about fifty? They’re just sitting there.’

But then one of the figures walked towards them, the Doctor jumped back instinctively but the figure itself was entirely unthreatening. It started gesticulating, like it was trying to communicate with her.

‘You?… eyes?…look! You look…over there. There, what’s there? The train station? The university?’

‘I know it’s Christmas but is this really the right place to be playing charades?’ Graham asked.

‘I can see them but I can’t talk to them so charades it is.’

’The city?’ she continued. From what she could make out the figure nodded.

It finally clicked. ‘You’re watching the city! You weren’t following me you were just experiencing Christmas.’

‘So they’re not ghosts?’

‘Not ghosts. Not aliens. Not even dangerous. They’re humans. And what I’ve been seeing is the imprint of them being transposed across time and space.’ she said. ‘Ohh that’s why I got the headache! It was the transmission signal being activated. It sent out a huge burst of chronon radiation. Overstimulated my senses. I’m delicate guys.’

It looked as though the figured bowed their heads; you could almost see the expressions of sorrow written on their featureless faces. The Doctor picked up on this, ‘Oh don’t feel bad, you weren’t to know. And look, I’m all better now.’

‘And what the TARDIS protects you from the radiation so that’s why it stopped as soon as you got in the door?’

‘Yep. It is in another dimension after all. Top marks Yasmin Khan.’

‘So these guys they’re like VR?’ Ryan asked

‘V-what? Am I only one not understand this… again’

‘Virtual Reality, Gramps. They must have headsets on that allow them to experience the past but without leaving the future. Or the present for them I guess.’

‘Top marks as well Ryan Sinclair. Come on Graham you’re slacking. It’s brilliant. You get to travel back in time and experience the past without interfering in it. No risks with paradoxes. Ethical time travel. Genius.’

‘So how come we don’t do that? I mean all those times you’ve warned us about treading lightly could’ve been avoided?’

‘I’m a thrill seeker. Plus it doesn’t compare to the real thing. What they’re doing is more like watching a movie of Sheffield rather than actually being here.’

‘So we’re basically like a historical documentary to them?’ Yaz asked.

‘Yeah I suppose so. Hey count yourselves lucky. 99% of people’s lives are forgotten. You’re going to be remembered centuries into the future.’

‘So how come we can’t see them?’

‘Is it a perception blocker thingy. Like Krasko had with his briefcase?’

‘Top marks for Graham O’Brien. Three for three. Look at my fam go future humans. You’re standing on the shoulders of giants right here.’

‘Well now hold on, how come you could see them and not us?’

‘Only a simple filter for species native to Earth I reckon. This lot weren’t expected me to be here.’

‘Hold on, one thing you haven’t explained. What was the blob you saw at Meadowhall then?’ Yaz asked.

‘Oh, probably someone with a dodgy connection.’

‘So you’ve got it all sorted?’ Graham said definitively.

‘Yep.’

‘Not going mad?’

‘Nope.’

‘Good. Then we can get back inside, I’m freezing.’

‘Does that mean we get to open the presents now?’

‘Go on then, I think you’ve earned it.’

‘Yay!’ she said, running ahead of them and opening the front door with the sonic for maximum efficiency.

 

They let the Doctor start with opening the presents. She instantly went for Yaz’s.

‘Oh Yaz it’s gorgeous,’ she said.

‘I knew you’d like it, you haven’t stopped wearing that earring since I bought it you,’

‘What is it?’ Ryan said.

‘It’s a necklace in the shape of a constellation. Andromeda I’d guess, hard to tell when it’s this small.’

 

Next it was Ryan’s turn, opening a present from the Doctor.

‘No way! You got me a new phone?’

‘Yep, just promise you won’t lose this one.’

‘Only if you promise not to break this one.’

‘Deal.’

 

‘Oh god!’ Yaz said, opening her present from the Doctor to reveal the bra and knickers.

‘Blimey Doc!’

‘What did I get it wrong? I thought people got underwear for each other?’

‘Yeah a pair of socks usually, not… that.’

‘You got me brand new pairs when we went shopping for my new outfit,' she said to Yaz.

‘Yeah because you had none at all and you cannot buy second hand lingerie. How do you even know my bra size?’

‘I did have to guess there.’

‘Wow that is… surprisingly accurate,’

‘So you don’t like it?’

‘No it is beautiful, just tell me you kept the receipt?’

The Doctor rifled through her pockets until she found the slip of paper and handed it to Yaz.

‘Great, I’ll exchange it for the right size. Maybe you can come with me? Girls’ day out? I can show you the ropes.’

‘It’s a date.’

 

‘Gawd, this is massive.’ Graham said as the Doctor handed over his present. ‘What is it?’

‘It’s updoc.’

‘What’s updoc?’

‘Not much, what’s up with you?’

‘I can’t believe you fell for that,’ Ryan laughed.

‘Sorry Graham, couldn’t resist.’

‘Well now I know who wrote the jokes in our crackers.’

He unwrapped the large gift to find a rug with an intricate and colourful pattern woven into the fabric.

‘It’s a rug?’

‘Yeah. An old friend of mine bought me a rug for Christmas last year when I was an old man so I thought it was a safe bet. Do you like it?’

‘I love it, thanks Doc. Merry Christmas.’

‘Merry Christmas Graham.’

 

Ryan handed his granddad his present and Graham carefully unwrapped the small rectangular present to find a book about his beloved football team, West Ham.

‘Oh brilliant, that’s the one I was telling you about,’ he said gleefully.

‘I do listen to you, y’know… sometimes,’ Ryan said in a playful but sweet manner.

‘Come here mate,’ Graham said embracing him in a hug, tears of joy forming in his eyes. ‘Thank you.’

 

‘I LOVE IT!’

‘I thought you might,’ Graham said.

‘Look it’s a rainbow,’ the Doctor said proudly, showing off the colourful scarf to the rest of them. ‘I love rainbows. You know what they say you can never have too many rainbows,’

‘Is that what they say?’ Ryan.

‘Well that’s what I say and I’m always right…some of the time,’ the Doctor squeed, before noticing something odd. ’Oh Graham, it’s lovely but I think you got the wrong one,’

‘What? How come?’

‘It’s got someone else’s name on it. Paul Smith. I’ve called myself John Smith before but never Paul Smith. Could you not put ‘Doctor’ on it?’

‘No you silly… that’s the name of the maker. Paul Smith, he’s a fashion designer.’

‘Oh right, more of a Coco Chanel person to be fair. I love it but you probably should return it to him,’ she said offering the scarf back to Graham.

It took a fair amount of explaining for the Doctor to realise that the scarf was in fact hers and not Paul Smith’s but once she did she embraced it, immediately wrapping it around her neck and spun around to check it out in the mirror above the fireplace.

*

The night had drawn in and the fam were quietly relaxing. The Doctor ran her hand across the varnished hazelnut wood of the piano lid. She loved playing musical instruments; the recorder, the guitar, even the triangle on occasion. She wondered whether this body was any good at rattling off a tune. _Only one way to find out_ she thought.

'Do you play Graham?’

‘Oh that old thing? No not for ages,’

‘All the more reason to have a little tinkle. How about a duet?’

‘I don’t know—‘

‘Oh please Graham, I’d love to hear it,’ Yaz said.

‘Alright. Just go easy on me I’m quite rusty,’

‘Me too. New hands.’ she said, stretching them out and noting that they were the smallest she’d had so far, they could only just make an octave. Nevertheless she’d manage, she always did.

Once they had settled on a tune both of them could play the four of them gathered around the piano.

  _Have yourself a merry little Christmas_

_let your heart(s) be light_

_from now on our troubles will be out of sight_

 

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas_

_make the Yuletide gay_

_from now on our troubles will be miles away…_


End file.
